Spark arrester



Nov. 15, 1932. R, MQ CROSBY 1,887,922

SPARK ARRESTER i Filed May 18, 1931 Patented Nov. 15, 1932 alemania. dinosaur, or .'Jzaczoiaa.-WASHING/'rolapv application ala Kay 1s,

MyA invention relates the apparatus shown' in my prior Patent No. 1,108,710, granted August 25, 1914.v Y Y object of my inventiony is to -provde' a more eiiicient form' of baille or retarding grating to dela-y the movement oflive cinders or sparkscarried by Waste gasesin their passage fromthelocomotive fire box to the' smoke stack. Y

. A further object of my vide an improved baille mea-nsI to cause the urnace gases to movev througha tortuous channel between the furnace and the stack, thereby creating turbulent Whirl-ing and eddying of the gases, with the result that the largersparks will be driven against the deleting plates, broken up, and extinguished.

f vide a means of preventing sparks and cin'- ders` from escaping around the ends of dei Vlecti'on' vanes.` l y A further object is to provide a generally improved spark arresting means for steam locomotives which is simple in construction, durable, which is self-cleaning, and', which may be economically installed in a standard locomotive. 1

invention is to pro- Other objectswill appear from the follow mg description, reference being hadto accompanying drawingfin which e Figure 1 represents a vertical, longitudinal section of the smoke box of a vlocomotive embodying my invention ;s Y n y Figure 2' is a front elevational viewwith the'head plate removed, portions ofthe parts being broken away to show detailedlconstruction thereof; Y 1

Figure 3 is a vertical sectionalvew taken onthe line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and Figure 4 shows my invention diagrammatically in relation to other parts of the" locomotive. The spark arrester, designated generally as 10. (Fig. 4), is'located within thesmoke box 12 ofV the` locomotive. The products of combustionpass from' the fire box 14.through the fire tubes 16 into the lower portion-ofthe rthe' generally to spark afrresters, and more particularly to apparatus 5 of thistype for use in steam locomotives.r Myv present invention is an improvement upon urther object of my invention is tolpro-A 1931. `seran no. 538,115. y

smoke box-12, are acted upon by the spark arrester-v10 ofl my invention and pass outwa'r'dly throughfthe' stack 18. l l

` s showningreater detail in Fig.y 1, the smoke x I2 is divided into three comparte ments 20,:22 and 24, the compartment 20 be- -ing formed by the boiler head plate`26 and sloping plate 282 The plate 28fis" riveted` or otherwise suitably secured atits upper end to tha-top* plate of the' smoke chamber, and has itsflower end simil-arly secured to a horizontal transverse plate 32l which embraces the exhaust steam nozzlev 34. The plates 28 andY 32( extend transversely the full 'wi'dthl of the smoke box and are suitably fsecured to the shell 36E .of the smoke box. The plate 32 Vhas aV forwardly and downwardly extending flange portion 38 which carries: an angle'iiron 40. vThe compartment 22 is formed by the smoke box Vshell 36, the'front head plate42",and bank of* d'electing vanes 44.#.1

The ban'kof d'electing ,vanes 44 is sup'- portedfb -a pair of curvedangle irons 46 and a pai-ro supportingbars48, andthecurved angle i-rons46 may be riveted' or welded to '75,

the smoke box shell` 36, while the sup 'orting bars 48 are secured` at' their upper endb to an angle 50 and at their'lower endsto the angle 40. A pluralityofivanes 52 are'supported inechelon, extending transversely across the 80. smokebox.` Each of the vanes 52 has riveted thereto four strips 54.y The stripsV 54 and hence. thef vanes 525 areV secured tothe angle rron's 46 andi supporting bars48j by bolts 56 which project through the'upper and forwar'dl edges ofthe vanes 1 52', strips 54,r a spacer 158,. and through the lower and rearward end of the next :adjacent strip 54'. The lower rearward edge of eac 1 of vthe vanes 52 is curved downwardly andorwardly asat 60 to 90 form acurvedf deflecting surface. A plurality' of transverse apertures62 are thus' formed between. the lower' edges of the upper vane andf the upper edge of thelow'er vaine.:L Filler plates 64 have theirupper edges shaped to 95 conformi generally tothe-lower surfaces of the vanes.' 52 andare weldedor otherwise securedY to the transverse portions of 'the' angle iron'sf416.V A. small. amount ofi clearance is preferably left between `the upper edges of the eoV box shell 36 and the plate 70. If desired, i

the plate 66 may be fa'pertur'ed tof-permitA circulation of a portion of the flue lgases there-y through. A deflecting plate 74, the rear-m ward edge of which is curled. downwardly asv shown at 76, is adj ustably 'secured to the ba'iiie" plate 70 by a plurality of bolts 78. .A The Ybolts project through suitable holes in the plate 70 and slots 8O formed in thedeflectin 'plate 74. j The deflectorplate 74 may thusgoe adjustedto suit the particular operating requirements of the boiler and ,furnace with which it is-used.V f y In operation, the soot-laden flue gases discharged fromthe fire tubes l6iare inpart projected against the plate 28, thereby partially collecting together the sootparticles. The gases pass forwardly into theecompartment 22 where they are separated into two streams, Vone iiowing upwardly directly throughl the space formed between the deiector plate 74 and thebank44 of vanes, the other flowing into the lspace Vformed by the plates 66,J70jand 74. The former stream travels at high velocity and is in part projectedagainstthe klower surfaces ofthe vanes 52 andthe solid particles thus broken up by impact andtemporarily; arrested. The deflector plate 74 greatly restricts the path for the upward flow of the gases-in the compartment 22, with the result that the passage of gases between the deflector plate 74 and the bank of vanes 441is greatly accelerated. The heavier solid particles carried by the gas thus acquire high momentum and do not readily change their direction of motionsoas to enable them toI pass outwardlyfthrough the apertures 62. A large majority of the larger solid particles will strike the lower surfaces lof the vanes 52' and be broken up or deflected forwardlyagainst the front head plate 42 and drop upon the baille plate and deflector plate 7 4, upon which they will'be carried rear- -wardly by the swirling currents of gas and again get into the high velocity stream'passing betwen the rearward edge of the deflector plate 74 -and the bank of vanes 44. The largerparticles will thus have repeated chances of being broken up.- Each of the curledportions of thev vanes 52 checks the passage of the heavier particles and sets up an eddy or swirling turbulence which further delays the exit of the solidparticles through the apertures 62.Y The gases thus freed from the heavier particles carry the smaller fragments thereofthrough the apertures 62,/ wherethey tures between the vanes 52 will ordinarily be of such small size that although they may be suiciently hotto beY ignited will be rapidly consumed as soon as they reach the atmosphere? The secondary stream of flue gases is projecte'd' against the 'plate 66 and thereby deiiectednpwardly against thebaiide plate and f deiector yplate 7 4. These .plates .thus

cause acirculatoryturbulent movement ofthe gases, with the resultthatthe heavier burning particles in thegasare thrown outwardly by centrifugal ,force against the plates and thereby` broken into smaller particles.V .The curved lip 7.6 ofthe deiriector plate 74 aids in inducing `this-whirling motion. Thesecond stream is thus freed from larger burning particles andv is drawn withl thev remaining gases through the spaces between thev vanes 5.2.

Since the flue gasesfdo not readily support combustion, a large proportionof the burning particles are soon extinguished.

Thus, even'thoughthe length of time that these particles are delayed in their passage through the compartment 2,2 is comparatively short, there Will be sufiicient time for a largemajority of the sparks to becomel exl tinguished. Since thev particles are broken up toagreat extent, they; will, even though still burning when they have passed through the bank of vanes 52, be more ,readily extinguished by the steam jet and will burn up more Y rapidly. .when atmosphere.4 a 1 By adjustmenty of the deflector plate 74, the velocity at which the Vliuc gases pass up.- wardly against the upper vanes may be vathey are` ej ectedl into the .riedto secure the -most eiicient operation of the spark larrester' consistent 'with 'the main?- taining of a low back vpressure onthe flue gases. X. j

, Thel end filler plates 64 preventv thepassage of the gases around theends of the vanes 52 `andthereby Yprevent the large burning solid particles fromescaping directlyfrom the compartment 22." v f The plate 66 protects the front end door 1 plate 42 against the direct blast lof [iue gases. The direction ofthe iow of gases is roughly indicated by the arrows shown'in Fig. 1.

-While I havefillustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be madefwithout departing. from the spirit thereof, and Ido notwish to be limited to the precise details set vforth but desir'eto availmyself of all .changes within the scope of the appended claims. i

Ilel planes which are inclined to the plane of the series, the plane of the series being upn wardly inclined toward one wall of said channel, each of said vanes having its lower edge spaced from the upper edge of the next adjacent vane to form apertures for the How of the gases of combustion, and adjustable baf- He meansprojecting into said channel and reducing the cross sectional area thereof at a point adjacent said series of vanes.

In a smoke box having a passageway for Hue gases, spark arresting means comprising a plurality of spaced deHecting vanes forming apertures extending transversely across the smoke box, baille means projecting into said passageway and materially diminishing the cross sectional area 'thereof at a point adjacent said vanes, and means for adjustably positioning a portion of said baiile means to vary the cross sectional area of the passageway for the gases.

In a locomotive, the combination of a smoke box having Va circuitous passageway for the How of Hue gases, a plurality lof de- Hecting blades arranged in echelon across said passageway, and abaiile materially reducing the cross sectional area of said passageway, said baHie comprising a HXed plate and an adjustable plate, said latter plate having its edge projecting into said passageway curled to aid in imparting 'a' whirling m0- tion to the Hue gases projected thereagainst.

4. In a spark arrester for locomotives, the combination of a smoke box having a circuitous passageway therethrough, a plurality of deHecting vanes extending transversely across said passageway, said vanes lying in substantially parallel equidistant inclined planes with the lower edge of each of the upper vanes lying substantially in the vertical plane which passes through the upper edge of the adjacent lower vane, each of said vanes having its lower edge curled inwardly so as to form a substantially cylindrical sector, and Hller plates positioned beneath said vanes to prevent escape of gases around the ends of said vanes, said filler plates being positioned in a plane substantially perpendicular to the planesof said vanes and conforming to the shape thereof but spaced a minute distance therefrom.

5. In a locomotive having asmoke box with a passageway for the How of Hue gases, a grating extending transversely across said passageway, said grating providing transverse apertures for the How of gases and de- Hecting surfaces, a baille inverted L-shaped in cross section positioned transversely across said passageway, and an extension plate adjustably secured to said baffle and forming therewith a substantially continuous plate for reducing the effective cross sectional area of said passageway and causing a turbulent How of the Hue gases. y

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this eleventh day of May, 1931.

` RICHARD-M. CROSBY. 

